Planning Bus Rapid Transit for the Capital District

Welcome to the fifth newsletter for the Capital District Transportation Authority NY5 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. CDTA is moving forward with BRT service on the NY5 corridor. This newsletter keeps you informed about CDTA’s plans for the new service, including opportunities to be involved and provide input. Federal Transit Administration Approves Stations Environmental Documentation CDTA received notification in June that the FTA has approved the environmental documentation for the station stops. Achievement of this milestone clears the way for final design and the beginning of construction!
Major Contract Awards -- July 2008

· Stations Advance to Final Design Creighton Manning Engineers, LLP will lead a team of design professionals in preparing final design documents. Stations will be built in groups, coordinated with road construction, and will integrate “green” solar powered trash compactors, efficient lighting and climate-sensitive design. There is a big technology focus, as well, with ticket vending machines, security cameras, and next bus arrival time signs. Keep your eyes open for the first signs “on the street”!
· Signal Upgrades and Queue Jump Lanes Working with NYSDOT and the municipalities on the corridor, three components of improving the NY5 roadway to accommodate better service are being advanced. Signal priority for buses, coupled with lanes that allow buses to jump traffic queues at major intersections will dramatically improve the reliability and speed of corridor bus service. The third road design element that will insure the success of the project in the long run is corridor access management for service roads, consolidated driveways, and site design with good pedestrian connections. Site Work for Stations Incorporated in Roadwork Projects A cooperative agreement with the City of Albany to construct foundational site work, such as sidewalk, crosswalk improvements and utility conduits, for station sites from the City line east to Quail has been reached. This work will be accomplished as part of the road construction now underway. NYSDOT has incorporated changes to bus turn outs from the Albany City line to New Karner Road and a center median at Colonie Center/Northway Mall into their road construction project.

More Progress
· Clean-fuel Hybrid Vehicles Delivered to CDTA! Six new vehicles for the corridor add to the six deployed last year. They are already rolling in service. Check them out!
· Improvements to the #55 Schedule coming Fall 2008. Schedule changes to improve reliability and balance loads are in the planning stages. The corridor topped 3 MILLION riders last year, and continues to grow.
· Looking for More Shared-Use Park and Ride lots CDTA is actively seeking additional shared-use park and ride lots in the corridor. If your business, church, or agency has surplus parking capacity – let us know!
· Solar Central The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) awarded a joint funding application from CDTA and the Central Avenue Business Improvement District to make all the Central Avenue bus stops in the C-BID solar-powered!
Be Involved and Stay Informed

If you would like more information, contact Kristina Younger at CDTA (518-437-6582) or kristina@cdta.org.
Images above:

Colonie Center Station – looking west – artist rendering
Stueben South – west view, artist rendering

Whitney Young bus makes medical mobile

The Whitney Young's Mobile Health Unit will be parked in central spots all summer, offering free screenings to anyone who wants them.

"We believe very strongly in HIV testing for everyone, and s0 we provide free testing," said Mary Alice Russo, Director of Communications for the center. Free HIV testing is provided for anyone who walks through the door, she said. In this way, the center hopes to make HIV testing as normal as mammograms or prostate screening, she said. "We don't want there to be any stigma," she said.

The fully-equipped bus serves 5,700 clients annually, providing free HIV testing, other health screenings like blood pressure and heart rate, and outreach for substance abusers, said Steven Sawicki, Director of HIV Services at Whitney M. Young, Jr. Health Center in Albany.

The Whitney M. Young, Jr. Health Center is designed to meet disaparities in health care, "to provide help for people who don't get it from other places," Sawicki said. The mobile unit extends that idea one step further, taking care to people who can't get to the center, he said.

In the future, the bus could also provide diabetes testing and STD screenings.

The mobile health will be parked in several spots along Central Avenue, Sawicki said. Central is a great spot because it's active and diverse, and there are a number of other service providers in the area, he said. The bus also attends large public gatherings in nearby parks and at the Empire State Plaza.

Central's Flatiron building new home to Trustco Bank

Carrow Real Estate Services announced that one of the district's most unique buildings will soon be home to a Trustco Bank. The Flatiron-style building, located near the head of Central Avenue, has stood vacant for a long time, but is currently being transformed into a bank building.

Carrow leasing agent Rudy Lynch is excited about the new tenant. "It should really add to the growth in that whole area," Lynch said.

Trustco will occupy the first and second floors of the four-story building, which are currently being gutted and remodeled, Lynch said. "They started from scratch," he said.

Construction work is going along smoothly, and he anticipates that the bank will move in by the end of the summer, he said. The triangle-shaped building is set on a three-street intersection, where Henry Johnson Boulevard meets Washington Avenue and Central Avenue. This heavily-traveled corridor will be a great location for a bank, and the parking lot behind the building and the on-street spots provide ample parking for bank customers, Lynch said.

Carrow Real Estate, the company that owns and manages the property, has been looking to put a bank in there for some time, and finally made a deal with a local bank this year, he said.

Nia-Yoga Opens 'New Sky Studio'

The Center for Nia and Yoga, the restorative retreat in the heart of downtown Albany, has just added a second studio to its large facility on the corner of Lark and Central. The new studio, named the Sky Studio because of its aery location, houses the center's Kripalu and Ashtanga classes.

Casey Bernstein, the center's owner and director, opened the center 12 years ago, and chose the 4 Central Avenue location because she loved the urban setting, which was close to such a cross-section of people and the building's distinct architecture. "I love the building.. the old classic architecture, natural materials of wood, brick and natural light," Bernstein said.

The studio was opened as a preeminent home for Nia, an "eclectic, expressive fitness fusion program," said Bernstein. The center is also one of just three Nia teacher training centers on the East Coast. Nia combines yoga, tai chi, dance and martial arts for a practice that is both spiritual and physical. The courses are taught from the center's Studio 1, the original studio, which is a spacious, sunny space with hard wood floors and windows that overlook the busy cross-streets and the Washington Armory. The room is comfortable and soothing, the perfect place to stretch out and relax.

The center also houses Djumbe Drum lessons and Afro-Caribbean Live Dance and Drum classes. Bernstein also offers pro-bono community service classes serving Women of the Next Step, a long term drug rehab program, the Parson Children Center, and The Vanderheyden home for Children. The center has about 8-10 instructors and attracts 100-150 students per week.

For more information about the classes offered at The Center for Nia and Yoga, please visit the center's website at http://www.nia-yoga.com/ or call 518-463-5145.